


roman holiday

by tommoholland



Category: Little Women (2019), Little Women Series - Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Beth March - Freeform, Childhood Friends to Lovers, F/M, Jo March - Freeform, Laurie x Amy, Modern AU, Modern Setting, amy march - Freeform, amy x laurie, little women - Freeform, meg march - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25435330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommoholland/pseuds/tommoholland
Summary: Amy’s fondest moments from her childhood in Concord, Massachusetts were spent with her sisters, Meg, Jo, and Beth and their neighbor and good friend, Laurie Laurence.Amy and Laurie reconnect in Europe later in life, one with a broken dream and the other a broken heart.A modern retake on the classic romance of Amy March and Theodore Laurence.
Relationships: Friedrich Bhaer/Josephine March, John Brooke/Margaret March, Theodore Laurence & Josephine March, Theodore Laurence/Amy March
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the first two chapters are pretty dull, but things start to kick off in the third chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurie is distracted.

**December 25, 2012**

Laurie Laurence had never felt less excited for Christmas in his life.

In Europe, he could buy chocolate and gooey pastries in the shops of wintery streets with friends. Some years he would skate at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, others he would visit Christmas markets in Munich and London. His parents would buy him the latest Apple product and nearly ever other gadget imaginable.

This year, he had his old-fashioned grandfather and his forgettable tutor.

"Laurie? Laurie? Theodore."

The boy turned from the window to face his grandfather at the head of the table. He was almost never called Theodore.

"Yes?" Laurie answered, clearly caught off guard.

"It's Christmas. Wouldn't you like to...engage in the conversation?" Mr. Laurence asked patiently. He always did everything too patiently, in a — quite honestly — boring manner. It was almost worse than if he were angry all the time. But then again maybe it wasn't. Right now he was probably yelling at Laurie, but in this weird, peaceful way.

Laurie ignored this and found himself staring out the window for the second time. His eyes latched onto the colorful figures again, who were delivering their breakfast to those who needed it more, the Hummels. He assumed the colorful figures were the March family, the neighbors he hadn't gotten around to meeting yet. They were the only thing that interested him this Christmas. The only thing he had to look forward to was eventually meeting the Marches.

He'd find a way to talk to them.

"Maybe you could teach my grandson some manners, as well as geometry, Mr. Brooke."

 _Ha! I forgot he was even there!_ Laurie thought to himself, trying not to laugh out loud.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurie takes his first steps into the March house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! <3

Twelve-year-old Amy March was slightly disappointed in her older sisters, Meg and Jo. Maybe a little more than slightly. They didn't let her tag along to a friend's New Years party. Beth reminded Amy that she would have her fair share of parties to go to in high school, but Amy still wanted to join in on the fun.

However, she was in for quite a surprise when the two oldest March sisters returned home rather early--with a boy!

Amy and Beth had spent that winter night at home catching up on their favorite television series and playing board games with Marmee. Meanwhile, Meg was having a grand time enjoying herself socializing and dancing with friends at the party. She danced merrily to the beat of every song that blasted through the speakers.

Of course, Jo wouldn't let herself be seen doing this. She had managed to spill orange juice all over her crisp white sweater as they were leaving their house. Jo internally berated herself for not turning around and exchanging the stained sweater for a clean one before she got in Sally's car. She let her emotions get the best of her and decided not to do absolutely anything, dancing included, and just sulk in solitude. She found the nearest quiet and empty room. Or so she thought.

"Ooo! Sorry!" Jo quickly turned around to face the stranger she had crashed into. "I didn't know anybody was here." she crossed her arms, making sure to cover the stain.

"Oh, no! Stay - if you'd like." the alarmed boy replied.

"If I won't disturb you?"

"No. I don't know anybody here and I don't quite know what to do with myself."

"Yeah, same."

"Do you happen to be Josephine March?"

"Yes, Theodore Laurence, but I'm not Josephine, it's just Jo."

"And I'm not Theodore, it's just Laurie." he grinned and held out his hand. Jo shook it, making sure to keep one arm over her torso and grinned back.

Laurie was instantly intrigued. He had finally met one of the March sisters.

"You don't like to dance?" Jo nodded toward the bigger room.

"Well, I don't really know how things are done around here yet. I lived in Europe, where, as I'm noticing, is pretty different."

Jo wouldn't have guessed Europe, as he spoke with a strong American accent like herself.

"Europe? That's so fucking cool!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

Laurie was slightly taken aback.

"Shouldn't have said that, sorry."

"Says who?"

"Oh, Meg, she's my older sister," Jo opened the door to the room Meg and her friends were in, "The one in the purple shirt." she pointed to her older sister, who was still dancing her heart out.

"Yes, very pretty." he said softly as his eyes moved down from the scene to Jo.

"She does her best to remind to remain a holy child for when my dad returns." Jo joked

"And where is he?"

"He volunteered to help with...medical stuff in Afghanistan. Volunteered. I wanted to go fight but apparently I'm 'too young'."

"Jo, do you wanna dance?"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Um, I spilled some orange juice on myself." Jo uncrossed her arms to reveal the orange mess. "You can laugh."

Laurie let out a few chuckles, "I have an idea."

The two ended up on the porch, where fun.'s _We Are Young_ could still be heard. Laurie began to move freely to the song. "This is my favorite band!"

Jo laughed and joined in. The pair twirled and head-banged and jumped and pranced in the shadows. They were the only two people in the universe.

Then Jo was taken back to reality when she heard a knock coming from a nearby window.

"My foot," Meg mouthed through the glass, "I hurt my ankle."

She had done so much dancing that the poor girl ended up with a sprained ankle. Jo and Laurie met her in the hall as she limped in her Vans. Jo placed her arm on her back to support her but Meg still had to travel on one foot.

"How am I gonna get home?" Meg breathlessly asked Jo.

"Well I don't see what you can do besides get an Uber. Is that what they're called?"

"An Uber's too expensive."

"Let me take you, it's right next door." Laurie offered

"Oh, no thank you, we can-"

"Please, really it's fine!"

"It's so early, I'm sure you don't want to leave yet?" Meg said

"I do, truly, I always leave these things early."

Jo looked at Meg, "What choice do you have?"

Amy, Beth, and Marmee got up from their game of Clue as soon as the door to the cozy March home opened.

"I sprained my ankle!" and "Meg's a wounded soldier!" were heard in the jumble of voices as Amy and Beth helped Meg to a chair and Marmee grabbed ice from the freezer.

"Oh and this is Theodore Laurence!" Jo gestured toward the boy.

Amy immediately took notice of the tall fellow. She had never seen hair so curly or eyelashes so thick.

"Sorry for the chaos, I enjoy baking in the middle of the night - and don't mind the clutter, Mr. Laurence, we don't!" Mrs. March welcomed Laurie in  
"Oh, it's Just Laurie."  
"Can I call you 'Teddy'?" Jo asked, taking off a boot  
"Yes." he smiled.

Amy, who's eyes were seemingly glued to the new face abruptly spoke, "I'm Amy."

He gave a soft, "Hello," as he quickly studied the young girl. He smiled as he watched this unfamiliar family. His lips smiled, his eyes smiled, his posture smiled. The moment he walked into the house he could sense the warmth of the place. But it was more than just the glowing embers in the fireplace. Laurie couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but he subconsciously longed to be a part of it. A part of the "chaos".

Laurie seemed to go as quickly as he came, but took notice of Jo and her eyes scanning a sheet of paper in the upstairs window, then continued his way up the hill to his grandfather's house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy meets the Italian boy again.

"How come I've never seen Laurie at school when he lives right next door?" Meg asked Jo. The four March sisters were spending their Sunday afternoon in the living room. Jo had asked them to help her make edits to her new play.

"He's rich. Probably has a private tutor or something." Jo suggested

"Private tutor?" Amy questioned

"Yes, use your brain." Jo lightly flicked Amy on her way to the sofa.

"Ow!" Amy squinted, "European _and_ rich?"

"Remember when he had his grandfather give us a literal feast on Christmas? A normal person couldn't pay for all that, let alone give it to someone else." Jo got up from the sofa and led her sisters to the window. "Just look at his house."

The four girls gazed at the massive palace-like building on the other side of the hill. They had always wondered what it was like to live in a house that didn't look like a home.

"That's _his_ house?" Beth asked

"We should be his friends," said Jo

"Boys scare me," Beth replied, "And that house scares me."

"Claire Snow says Mr. Laurence disowned his son after he had an affair with some Italian woman, and now his grandson is an orphan who spends every day locked up in his house, probably with that tutor," Amy told her sisters

"Oh, that's so sad." Meg sympathized in a motherly fashion

"Doesn't Laurie just seem so romantic? He's half Italian." Amy gushed, recalling his pale face and dark features.

"Oh, give it up, heart eyes," Jo chided "he's like three years older than you."

"I just said he was Italian! Why do want him all to yourself, Jo, I thought you don't want to get married?"

"Of course I don't. I'm in no rush to give up my freedom. He's all yours, Meg."

"I'm good. That's like a third-grader dating a first grader." Meg declined.

"So?"

"So, no thank you."

"You'll regret saying that one day when he finds some gorgeous, snobby wife who only wants him for his money!" Jo protested as she opened the half-broken family laptop to continue editing her script.

"How would you know that's going to happen?" Beth asked

"Jo, I think I'll know true love when I see it," said Meg

"Ugh, you're such a romantic." Jo rolled her eyes. "Dammit, now the "M" key is gone too!"

★

Amy couldn't focus in class. And she couldn't tell you why because there were simply too many reasons. But mostly because math was very boring.

She was mentally distanced from the rest of her class. Not a single word Mr. Davis said was bearable to listen to. She didn't like Mr. Davis anyway, so she decided to doodle a funny drawing of him on the corner of her worksheet. That wouldn't hurt anyone.

Amy received after-school detention.

She finally left school at 4:30. She started the walk home and she began to cry. Mr. Davis or the secretary had most likely already called Marmee and there was no way Amy could possibly go home. Not without being resented, probably by Jo.

She stopped walking a little ways away from her house and began to bawl even more. Every possible scenario of punishment went through her head. She couldn't go home.

★

To Laurie, Mr. Brooke's voice was the dullest thing in the world. Naturally, Laurie's feet were placed on a stool and his head was turned towards the window. There was never anything new to see, but it was still more entertaining than Mr. Brooke's lessons and lectures.

He scanned his front yard for what seemed like the millionth time that day. He expected to see the same bare oak tree and the same snow-covered bushes. But there was something else.

Was he hallucinating?

He blinked. The small figure was still there. The silhouette seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put a name to it. It clearly belonged to a young girl. Was she crying?

Laurie cut Mr. Brooke off, "There's a girl out there."

"No, there is not."

Laurie pulled up a stool for his teacher, who hesitantly stepped on it. "Oh. There is a girl."

"That's a girl."

That girl had saved his afternoon.

He rushed to open the window. "Hello! Are you alright?" Laurie called out.

The girl looked up, "I'm Amy."

_Amy. How could he forget?_

"Hello, Amy, I'm Laurie."

"I know. You brought my sisters home after the party," she spoke in between sniffles, "I would've never sprained my ankle, I have really nice feet, the best in the family. But I can never go home again because I'm in so much trouble," her voice cracked and she broke down in tears again, "I got a detention."

Mr. Brooke had gone to organize his student's next lesson after he and Laurie brought Amy inside. Once Amy had dried her tears and composed herself, she came to the realization that she must have been dreaming. There was no way she was sitting in the Italian boy's living room. Or one of his many living rooms. Or maybe it was his study. She had never been in such a luxurious place before, with sweeping staircases and Victorian-era velvet chairs. Amy's favorite ornamentation was the artwork. She enjoyed looking at every detail of every painting that was in her view.

Laurie noticed this.

"So, you like art, Amy?"

"Yes, very much-" she sat up in the most regal position her torso and shoulders would allow her to- "I want to become the greatest painter in the world one day. *And I especially love the Romantic and Impressionist eras, but of course, I'd be crazy to not love Renaissance art as well. Yes, I know these styles are out of date, but I think I could single-handedly bring them back."

Laurie smiled at her mini proclamation. He hadn't expected the young girl to be interested in centuries-old art or even know much at all about the topic.

"You definitely know a thing or two about your craft, Miss Raphaella."

"What?"

"You claim to love Renaissance art, but don't know who Raphael is?" Laurie teased

"I'm only twelve." Amy's posture sunk slightly

"That's fair. I'm very impressed that you could tell me that much anyway."

Amy looked down at the floor and smiled slightly as she fidgeted with her fingers.

She looked back up at Laurie on the other side of the room, "Well, who is Raphael?"

"Only one of the greatest painters of the era, and probably of all time. Want to see his work?"

Amy gasped, "You have his paintings?"

"Not the original copies, no," Laurie smirked, "but I do think my grandfather secretly holds some pride in having them. Here, follow me."

Laurie led his neighbor down the hall. On their short walk, Amy took the opportunity to study the outline of Laurie's shoulders from a different perspective. She tended to do this when she met new people. It was slightly creepy, she was aware of this, but it helped map out proportions and lines in her drawings.

However, no silhouette had ever interested her as much as this one. Most males had broad shoulders and wider upper-arms, unlike Laurie. His shoulders were slightly hunched over and slanted downward. They were connected to long, slender arms and hands that Amy had noticed were usually stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. Her eyes moved to the back of his head, where it looked like every curl had been placed one by one in its respective spot. Like his shoulders, Laurie's head leaned forward a bit- Amy stopped herself here. She was beginning to get a little stalker-ish. She wasn't planning on drawing Laurie's portrait any time soon, so there was really no point in studying his figure. Besides, they had made it to their destination.

They walked into a room the size of the Marchs' first floor. Except this room was entirely filled with artwork. There were pieces by artists of every era, from Michelangelo to Monet.

"This," Laurie said, gesturing to the center painting of the back wall, "Is Raphael."

Amy's eyes lit up as she studied _The School of Athens_ , "Oh! I've seen that painting before!"

"Don't doubt yourself too much."

After a few minutes of Laurie listening to Amy review paintings, the two made their way back to the living room, where Mr. Brooke entered a few moments later. Then he was followed by Mr. Laurence, Marmee, and Amy's two oldest sisters.

"Amy are you in here?"

"Meg, I'm in so much trouble," Amy confessed to her sister.

"Jo," Laurie stood up as his red-haired friend walked in.

"Wow," Jo marveled at the volumes lining the shelves of the study "Theodore Laurence, you must be the luckiest boy in the world."

"Someone can't live on just books."

"I could. What did you do?" Jo looked at Amy briefly before grabbing another book off the shelf.

"Nothing, I did nothing. I did a drawing and then Mr. Davis gave me detention." Jo didn't try half as hard as Meg to comfort her youngest sister. Marmee did, but she also had to warn Amy that there would be consequences. This, of course, didn't put Amy in a great mood so she momentarily ignored the comment and turned to Laurie to ask him more about Georgia O'Keeffe. However, she realized Laurie wasn't her's to talk to. He was caught up in a conversation with Jo, something about grandfathers.

Marmee thanked Laurie for helping Amy and invited him to come over to the March house whenever he'd like. In exchange, Laurie assured that they should feel free to visit so Jo could read the books, Amy could look at the paintings, Beth could play the piano, and - according to Mr. Brooke's comment - Meg could admire the greenhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I decided to have Amy take an interest in the Romantic and Impressionism eras of art because in the original Little Women story, set in the 1860s and 70s, Amy would’ve been around twelve years old when Romanticism was nearing its end and Impressionism would have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years.
> 
> I assume these were the styles of art, (mainly Impressionism) that Amy practiced in the original story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurie joins the Pickwick Club.

Laurie Laurence had quickly become a regular presence in the March house. He smoothly fell into the spontaneous and sometimes boisterous function of the family. He had been wrapped in a blanket of geniality, hot chocolate, twinkly eyes, and all the best things.

Most of his time at the house was spent watching funny YouTube videos with Jo, stuffing his face with as many Cheez-Its as he possibly could with Jo, running through the Massachusetts hills of their backyard so fast that he tripped over his own feet with Jo, doing pretty much anything and everything with Jo. The other three March sisters noticed this and were naturally suspicious. Meg told Jo, "I think Laurie's got some heart eyes for you", Beth didn't say anything but smiled, she liked seeing her sister have fun, and Amy just stared from afar.

After Jo proposed that Laurie join the Pickwick Club (inspired by their love for Charles Dickens), and her sisters somewhat reluctantly agreed, the boy got to spend more time with all four sisters. It was now a given that he would see them every Saturday evening in the March's attic to write stories, share their annoyances and joys of the week, and rehearse short plays Jo composed at 2 a.m.

"...Maybe the potato chip salesman wasn't as predictable as he looked, for he leaned in and gave the pretty girl a quick peck on the lips-"

*" _What?_ " "Jo, that's not in the script!" Laurie and Meg cried out, who were portraying the two lead characters in Jo's latest play.

"Yes, it is! I'm reading it right now, with my very own eyes!" Jo countered, gesturing to the laptop on the desk in front of her.

"Not in the script I read," Meg furrowed her brow and folded her arms over her chest.

"So, I made a few edits? Just go with it, it's only a play."

"But, Jo..." Laurie started, not wanting to outright offend Meg, even though he knew she was thinking the same thing.

"It's just for like, a second. And, Meg, I know you have experience."

"You can't force people to do things, Jo," Amy scolded in a sing-song voice from her seat on the sofa next to Beth, who said,

"If they're not comfortable, they shouldn't have to do it against their will."

This made Jo back down, for the shyest March sister didn't speak up often, but when she did the right things were always said. Only a mad man wouldn't listen to her.

"Fine, but the play's lost its magic touch now," Jo huffed "just stare into each other's souls _really_ deeply."

"Deal."

Amy barely moved a muscle for the rest of the night. She sat there, on the old, tattered couch, her eyes staring at an empty chair across the room but not looking at it. She couldn't stop thinking about what she told Jo. _"You can't force people to do things."_ But if Amy were in Meg's place and was told to kiss Laurie, she would.

How creepy was that, a twelve-year-old telling herself she would kiss a sixteen-year-old if she had the chance? When she had said her seventeen-year-old sister shouldn't?

The thought was still with her long after Laurie left and Amy was under her covers. She tossed and turned all night, annoyed at herself for not being able to stop thinking about her neighbor. Her alarm clock read "2:57".

"Amy?" a voice came from the bed across her's

"Oh, Beth, you're awake?"

"Yeah, are you alright?"

She knew Beth wouldn't tell a single soul, but it'd be so awkward to confess her thoughts to absolutely anyone, not even her sister.

"I'm fine. Just can't sleep, I guess."

Beth shifted to the right side of her bed, "Come here," she offered, patting the empty space beside her.

Amy took her word and fell asleep in the comfort of her sister's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The original book mentions a few times that Jo figured Meg and Laurie would end up married, so I thought I’d make her trying to set the two up a bit of a running gag.
> 
> sorry for the short update, but i have some pretty neat ideas for future chapters so stick with me haha!
> 
> p.s. thank you for the support i’ve gotten thus far! it really means a lot!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day at Camp Laurence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter suuuucks, but anyway, proceed.

Laurie pushed the smooth wood of the French doors open to reveal a warm July day. He started the familiar route to his neighbors' house, taking some extra time to soak in the nice weather.

As Laurie neared the fence he spotted a man who resembled his tutor talking to a pale, brunette girl a few ways away from the March house. He gripped the top of the fence and swung his long legs over it with little effort. His blurry vision of the two figures slowly cleared to reveal non-other than Mr. Brooke and Meg March. Even from this far away he could see their smiles, laughs, and the obvious hearts in their eyes.

He wasn't shocked to see the two together, getting along so well. He even told Jo that he'd thought of setting them up before. Jo not-so-lightly punched him in the forearm in response.

John and Meg said their goodbyes, still grinning from ear to ear. Mr. Brooke left the Laurence's forty minutes ago. Had they been talking that long?

Laurie picked up his pace to meet Meg, who was on her way home.

"Margaret March?" he mocked jokingly

"Yes?" she turned around quickly, clearly flustered. "Oh. Hi, Laurie."

"Talking to John Brooke, I see?"

"Yes." she stretched out the word as her eyes frantically searched the ground like she had something to look for, and her hand was placed on the back of her head.

"Why? He can't possibly be that interesting. I would know, I see him every day," Laurie said with a mischievous look in his eyes

"I think he's sweet," Meg answered with a slight curve of her mouth as her hands settled for her hips.

"Of course you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. But I was right!"

"Right about what- hey, Laurie! Get back here!" she chased the boy into the wooden sanctuary, but his long limbs made it to the door before she did.

Laurie entered the living room, "Hellooo, dearest March family!"

"Teddy! Did you get my email?" Jo looked up from her algebra homework (something she did not want to spend her Friday evening doing).

"Yes, I came to give you my answer: a goldfish. It would die in less than a year - and to ask you and your sisters if you'd join me at my family's camp this weekend? Short notice, I know, but I'd like you to meet a few of my friends from Europe."

"Who?"

"The Vaughn siblings; Kate, Fred and Frank, the twins and Grace, the youngest."

"Vaughn? How more prim and proper could they sound?" Jo snickered

"They sound fancy to me," Amy said, walking in from the kitchen. "Laurie, did you say Europe?"

"Yes, they're English."

"Oh, I love English accents. They're so elegant." Amy stuck her button nose in the air as she sat down in her typical regal posture.

She had never been fond of her nose, claiming that it was too cartoonish for a human being. Beth had told her it was unique and complemented the shape of her face well. Meg said that she'd do anything for a nose like Amy's. But she still found herself staring at the up-lifted feature in the mirror for a little too long some mornings.

"Oh my God," Jo muttered. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at her somewhat epicurean sister.

"I heard that!"

"Don't be a baby!"

Mrs. March then walked down the stairs, holding a stack of plastic cups in her left hand.

"Let's please not fight, girls," she cautioned with a small smile on her face, "And someone keeps leaving empty cups in the attic. I think I may know who it is." she nodded towards Jo.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting to bring them down."

"Oh, John Brooke is also invited, Meg," Laurie added with hooded-eyes

"That's-" Meg started, not sure whether she wanted to slap Laurie or run up the stairs and hide in her room- "nice of you to invite him."

"What is Mr. Brooke invited to?" asked Marmee

"My grandfather's camp. I was wondering if the girls could come too, tomorrow? I think they'll really like it."

"If they're good," Mrs. March joked, "I don't see why not."

"You'll come too, Betty?" Jo turned to the second-youngest March sister, using her nickname

"If you won't let any boys talk to me?"

"Not a single boy!"

"Well, if Laurie really wants us to and I won't bother anyone, I'll go!"

"Yay Beth!" Jo exclaimed, "Look at you, fighting your shyness!"

Beth's cheeks turned a light red and Meg leaned over to give her a quick embrace.

"However, my girls, we still need things to get things done around the house," Marmee reminded her daughters

"We'll do double duty today!" Jo slammed her algebra textbook shut and prepared to replace her pencil with a vacuum cleaner.

─

The sisters were up early the next morning, some more frantic than others.

Meg moved from her bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen and back to her bedroom to repeat the process all over again about a hundred times.

She stood at the mirror above her dresser and twisted her dark hair into a braid, then decided she didn't like how it looked and opted for a simple ponytail instead. She looked up after washing her face in the bathroom sink. Her hair would look much better down. So, Meg brushed out her long hair and told herself she was done messing with it and leaped down the stairs into the kitchen.

But, of course, she remembered mid-spoonful of cereal that she would be running and swimming all day, therefore having her down would be impractical and annoying.

Back in her bedroom, she warped her locks into a complicated-looking half braid half ponytail hairstyle she saw on YouTube. It didn't look great, but the only other option was to curl her hair. That's something she would never do again, not after what happened last time.

Meg used her Christmas money from ancient Aunt March to buy a curling iron. Every girl in her grade came to school with perfect ringlets bouncing down their shoulders. Meg was stuck with nearly stick-straight hair and became sick of it.

She decided to make her curly hair debut at the New Year's Eve party. Jo wanted to test the gadget out, so Meg let her sister use the curling iron.

A chunk of Meg's hair had burnt off. So, curly hair was out of the picture.

She then had to move onto what seemed like the hardest part: the outfit. Beth reminded Meg that it wouldn't be the best idea to wear her nice denim shorts and Aeropostale t-shirt. Everyone would be sweating after just a half-hour or so. Meg settled on a pair of running shorts and a light green sweatshirt.

Surprisingly, her outfit was the easiest decision Meg made that morning. However, she was afraid that her bathing suit was too much, or maybe too little.

It was clear to Jo, Beth, and Amy that their older sister was worked up about something. Meg wasn't anxious often, usually her calmness set the mood for the rest of the girls.

They didn't know what was bothering her, but after Laurie's comment yesterday, Marmee had a hunch. She kept it to herself, not wanting to raise her daughter's nerves any higher than they already were. She figured it had something to do with a certain tutor.

Thankfully, Laurie wasn't with the sisters on their drive to the camp. Laurie and Jo together in a car meant rolling down the windows and screaming every lyric to every song at the top of their lungs, which was wildly distracting to Meg while she was driving and would've sent her jitters off the charts.

The Subaru rolled into a parking lot ahead of the beach next to a jet black Mercedes that forced the girls to remember just how old Meg's car was.

"Wow." Jo gasped

"I didn't think those cars actually existed," Beth said more to herself than her sisters, "I thought they were only in commercials."

"Do you think it's Laurie's friends' car?" Amy asked

"Probably. Spoiled." Jo scoffed

"Maybe they're not spoiled, they're just rich. They might be really nice people," Meg offered as she stepped out of the car.

Amy gathered her drawing supplies, "They must be loaded!"

The sisters walked along the sandy opening of the Laurences' camp until they spotted Laurie with John and four unfamiliar blondes.

"Hey!" Laurie welcomed the girls, "This is Fred, Frank, Kate, Grace, and of course you know Mr. Brooke."

The Vaughn siblings gave them a quick smile. Laurie continued, "And this is Meg, Amy, Beth, and Jo."

"So pleased to meet you," said Fred in a thick British accent

"Oh wow, you really are elegant," Amy walked up to him and extended her hand, "I'm Amy March. You remember that name, I'm gonna come find you one day in London."

"Oh I certainly will," Fred took her hand and shook it, not sure if he should've taken the statement as a joke or not.

The day was nothing but fun, filled with kites, volleyball water skis, and even chicken fights.

Of course, Jo and Laurie joined forces, and Jo insisted that Laurie get on her shoulders, not the other way around. Meg wasn't so sure that Jo was strong enough, but she managed to do it, even if it took a few tries before steadying themselves. It also helped that Laurie wasn't particularly heavy.

John offered to team up with Meg, and she was sure her blush could be mistaken for a sunburn, which she planned to use as an excuse.

The two hadn't spent more than a few minutes apart the whole day and had taken at least a hundred walks down the beach together.

Jo, Beth, and Amy noticed that their sister was back in her usual relaxed manner, almost a completely different person than the frazzled girl they were with this morning.

Amy spent most of her time sketching, trying here and there to converse with Grace, purely because they were the two youngest and were forced to keep each other company. This did annoy Amy slightly, Grace was a whole three years younger than her. Nine and twelve was a big difference.

" _I know something you don't know_ ," Laurie sang to Jo.

It was late in the afternoon and the sun sprawled a warm golden glow over the beach.

"Tell me this second."

"Did Meg happen to lose a glove?"

Jo thought for a moment.

"Mr. Brooke has it!" she hit Laurie's chest

"Yes," he cringed

"How do you know?"

"I saw it."

"Where?"

"In his pocket."

"He's had it all this time?"

"Isn't it romantic?" Laurie picked up his knee to a skip

"No, it's horrible!"

"I thought you'd be happy," he admitted

"At the idea of anyone coming to take Meg away? No thank you."

"Maybe you'll feel better about it when someone comes to take you away."

"I'd like to see someone try," Jo tested

"I would like to see someone try as well," he chased after Jo but she pushed him away and he just barely missed the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it took me forever-forever, i tell you-to finish this chapter. i don't really know why because this is probably the worst one yet. but i didn't feel like spending any more time on it and just wanted to upload it as soon as i could. 
> 
> sorry about the long wait and the many spelling and grammar errors that came with it.
> 
> hopefully i'll improve for the next chapter.
> 
> see you then!


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